In each of the past two years, the Cowboys have found themselves on the losing end of a week 17 showdown for all the marbles in the NFC East. While the Cowboys were ravaged by injuries last year, it was a collection of critical miscues that caused them to miss the playoffs for a third straight year. There is more than enough talent in the building for the Cowboys to reign supreme in the their division this year, but they simply need to stop beating themselves. Regardless of anything owner and CEO Jerry Jones says, the pressure is on for Jason Garrett and Tony Romo to take this team to the next level.

Offense

All eyes will be on Tony Romo and Dez Bryant after the duo caught fire in the second half of 2012. Bryant caught ten touchdowns in the final eight games, convincing Dallas fans he is the second coming of Michael Irvin. Romo showed great command of the offense, throwing for a career-high 4,903 yards, including 1382 to Bryant. With Jason Witten and Miles Austin in the starting lineup, there is no lack of firepower in the passing game. This year, the key for the offense will be playing with balance and limiting mistakes. Jason Garrett has been stripped of his play-calling duties, with veteran offensive coordinator taking over that department. This should be beneficial, as Callahan is a confident and experienced play-caller who will lead the offense decisively, and it will allow Garrett to focus on other aspects of his job. The Cowboys were near the bottom of the league in turnovers and offensive penalties last year, trends that need to change.

Power Run Game
Last year, the Cowboys ranked 31st in rushing offense, averaging a paltry 79 yards a game and 3.6 yards per carry. Getting a healthy DeMarco Murray back will undoubtedly help their run game, but their problems go beyond that. Cowboys fans booed when the team used their first-round pick on center Travis Frederick, but he may be exactly the presence the team needs to solidify the interior of their offensive line. The free-agent addition of OG Brandon Moore should also pay dividends as the team attempts re-establish their run game. LT Tyron Smith had a strong second season and should be expected to show continued improvement, while RT Doug Free remains a shaky starter. Free struggles with speed-rushers, but the team could help him a lot by getting their run game going and offering him tight end help on passing downs. Given Murray’s injury history, the Cowboys would be wise to give some carries to backups Phillip Tanner and Joseph Randle, who are both hard runners who can help bring the Cowboys run game back to life.

Rookie to Watch: TE Gavin Escobar
Realizing Jason Witten is near the end of his career, the Cowboys spent a second-round pick on the dynamic San Diego State product. While Witten is still one of the game’s most reliable receivers, his game now has some limitations. Escobar is an excellent downfield receiver who can stretch the the deep middle of defenses with his height and ball skills, making him and Witten a potentially devastating combination. With the Cowboys looking to re-establish their run game and lacking quality depth at wide receiver, we could see them run a lot of two tight-end formations this year. When the Cowboys decide to spread it out, Escobar has the skills to be lined up outside and present matchup problems for defensive backs. Another rookie who could contribute this year is WR Terrence Williams, who will be fighting for snaps with Anthony Armstrong and Dwayne Harris. While Harris and Armstrong are more likely to be lined up in the slot, Williams is best when lined up on the outside, which could give Callahan flexibility to line Bryant and Austin up in the slot on some downs.

Defense

The biggest changes to the Cowboys this year are taking place in the form of defensive scheme changes. Monte Kiffin represents a major upgrade at defensive coordinator over Rob Ryan, and he will be installing his vaunted cover 2 scheme that he used in Tampa Bay during their reign of defensive dominance. An accomplished 73 year-old, Kiffin isn’t going to take a job unless he feels the situation is just right, and the Cowboys offer a group of players that fit right into his scheme. Consider the key philosophies of Kiffin’s defense in Tampa Bay.

The Front Four Must Create Pressure
Because Kiffin doesn’t often utilize the blitz, it is essential that the defensive line be able to disrupt offenses on its own. In Tampa, Simeon Rice enjoyed five double-digit sacks seasons rushing from the left end spot, production we already know DeMarcus Ware can and will provide. Ware hasn’t had less than 11 sacks since his rookie year and already has 111 sacks in just eight seasons. By ridding him of his linebacker duties and unleashing him to do what he does best every snap, Kiffin may be setting Ware up for another run at the sack record. Warren Sapp was a wrecking crew in the middle of the Tampa defense, and there has not been a defensive tackle with that kind of dominant ability since, but the Cowboys do have a pair of defensive tackles who could be very effective in this new scheme. Jay Ratliff always seemed an odd fit to play nose tackle in a 3-4 because he was such a disruptive penetrator. If he can stay healthy, Ratliff has the ability to put up double-digit sacks in a defense that doesn’t ask him to be a run anchor. Jason Hatcher, a converted defensive end who has bulked up over the years, is an underrated veteran who plays very smart and with a high motor. He should be able to fill the Booger McFarland role. What the Cowboys have on defense that Tampa lacked is a second edge-rusher on the right side. All due respect to Greg Spires, but Anthony Spencer is a phenomenal run-defender coming off an 11-sack season, and he isn’t done improving. The Cowboys also have some intriguing edge-rushers off the bench in Wilber, Crawford, and Selvie, but they are quite thin at DT and will need someone to step up and give some effective relief work for Hatcher and Ratliff.

The Linebackers Must be Able to Cover
The key to the defense in Tampa was obviously Derrick Brooks, who went to 11 pro bowls and collected 1300 tackles and 25 interceptions in his career with the Bucs. Bruce Carter may not be a well-known name right now, but I believe the third-year weakside linebacker will be a breakout star this year. Carter is one of the fastest and most athletic linebackers in the league, and he could quickly emerge as one of the league’s most dangerous coverage linebackers. Carter opened eyes when he was inserted for an injured Sean Lee at the MLB position last year, but he should only be better now that he is at his natural position. The Cowboys are pleased to announce that Lee has been given a clean slate of health and should be full-strength for the start of the season, giving them what could be one of the best linebacker duos in the league. Lee is also excellent in coverage, as evidenced by seven interceptions in just two and a half years, and has the range to cover the deep middle. With the addition of Justin Durant, the Cowboys have a trio of linebackers who can run and hit, and they will be playing in a scheme that asks for them to do exactly that.

The Secondary Needs to Play Aggressive
In Kiffin’s scheme, the cornerbacks play primarily press zone coverage, with their goal being to disrupt routes and feast on quarterbacks’ mistakes. Brian Kelly and Ronde Barber did a remarkable job at this, and I could see Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr really shining in this scheme. Both are both big corners who are at their best when they can get physical with receivers, and Claiborne has the ball skills to be a star player in this scheme. Orlando Scandrick gives them a solid nickel corner who can match up with shifty slot receivers, a very important job in today’s NFL. Then there is the John Lynch role, the enforcer of the secondary who makes receivers pay for running crossing routes across their zones. This is the big question mark for the Cowboys, who have struggled at the safety position for years. The coaching staff on is high on Barry Church, an undrafted free agent who turned heads in practice last year but played only three games before an injury ended his season. The Cowboys are expecting him to be an impact player, but they did spend a third round pick on JJ Wilcox as insurance. At free safety, the team brought in journeyman Will Allen to fight for the starting job with rookie Matt Johnson. While the safety position doesn’t shape up as a strength, this is probably the best they have looked at the position in years.

Transformation
Injuries were obviously a big factor with Sean Lee, Jay Ratliff, Barry Church and Bruce Carter all missing significant time and DeMarcus Ware battling a nagging injury for most of the season, but this defense really struggled last year. They ranked 24th in points allowed per game and 23rd in third down defenses, numbers that should improve. Kiffin's scheme will put his players in a position to succeed, and he and his staff are working hard on fundamentals so they can rid themselves of the mental mistakes that plagued them this year. Kiffin is one of the most decorated defensive coordinators in NFL history, and he has a very talented roster to work with. As long as they stay healthy, there’s no reason the Cowboys defense can’t become one of the league’s top units.

The Cowboys appear to have found a good pair of young specialists in Bailey and Jones. Bailey made 93% of his field goals last year, while Jones averaged over 45 yards a punt after taking over starting duties. The team is excited about another year of Dwayne Harris handling returns after he racked up over 550 yards of return yardage including a 78-yard touchdown despite limited opportunities.

The NFC East is wide open, and the Cowboys will need to stake their claim to the crown in divisional play. The NFC North is tough, but outside of that, the Cowboys have a quite favorable schedule. The AFC West is probably the worst conference in the league, and St. Louis and New Orleans is not a bad draw for their two wild card teams. They will have the benefit of facing their two toughest tests (Broncos & Packers) at home.

Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Demarco Murray, Bruce Carter, Sean Lee, and Morris Claiborne. The Cowboys have quietly (for them) put together a really nice young core. The roster still has some glaring issues, but the talent is definitely there for them to take the division.

Because the cowboys gunna cowboy. All of the teams in this division have issues and the Romo/Garrett combo inspire the least confidence of the top 3 teams in this division. Their defense still has some serious questions around those great star pieces, as I think their DL other than Ware will get manhandled by some teams, and their safety's still suck. Their OL can still get beaten up which makes it very hard to have much faith in Romo not pulling a romo despite how insanely awesome Dez is and how good a group they've got around him.

One of the giants or Redskins will beat them again and I'm expecting it to be the giants because our offense is just going to be insanely good with the way Randle's progressing and now that Wilson has been gotten to work on his blocking. And if JPP is healthier, our beefier DTs make us less awful against the run, and Prince keeps beasting, our D will be more than good enough for that ridiculous offense to go to town.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

Because the cowboys gunna cowboy. All of the teams in this division have issues and the Romo/Garrett combo inspire the least confidence of the top 3 teams in this division. Their defense still has some serious questions around those great star pieces, as I think their DL other than Ware will get manhandled by some teams, and their safety's still suck. Their OL can still get beaten up which makes it very hard to have much faith in Romo not pulling a romo despite how insanely awesome Dez is and how good a group they've got around him.

One of the giants or Redskins will beat them again and I'm expecting it to be the giants because our offense is just going to be insanely good with the way Randle's progressing and now that Wilson has been gotten to work on his blocking. And if JPP is healthier, our beefier DTs make us less awful against the run, and Prince keeps beasting, our D will be more than good enough for that ridiculous offense to go to town.

Cowboys gonna Cowboy is your best argument. The rest of it is just "all of our problems will work themselves out, and all of theirs are going to be their downfall". We will see about the Giants offense taking the leap. Eli has never led that kind of an offense, and there are more than enough holes to go around on your defense as well.

Cowboys gonna Cowboy is your best argument. The rest of it is just "all of our problems will work themselves out, and all of theirs are going to be their downfall". We will see about the Giants offense taking the leap. Eli has never led that kind of an offense, and there are more than enough holes to go around on your defense as well.

Sure if you ignore the issues with the Cowboys DL outside of Ware, their OL outside of Tyron and maybe Frederick and their horrendous safeties, then sure that would be an accurate summary of my assessment of the Cowboys as long as you also ignore the Romo/Garrett combo being vastly inferior to the QB/HC combos for their two primary competitors for the division.

And no where am I suggesting our issue will just fix themselves, our run D won't be very good and our pass D is dependent on Tuck and JPP getting healthy as well as Webster squeezing out one more year, but with our offense that's more than enough to win this division.

And the **** do you mean Eli's never run an offense like this before? We won a superbowl with the worst defense in the NFL and no running game. Now our OL is better and so are our RBs, add Randle and Murphy giving us better WR depth and Eli has to do a lot less for us than he did two years ago. *shrug* But then again I guess I should've expected such an eloquently phrased sentence at the start of my post would distract you from reading the rest of my post.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

rosebud, gotta say Im seeing a lot of hometown bias in your assessment. When the Cowboys have a potential weakness, you assume they will be horrible at that spot. When the Giants have a potential weakness, you gloss over it and act like it'll sort itself out. And you may well be right. But to not even realize the possibility that maybe Corey Webster has another awful year and Prince never matures like the team hopes, and maybe Stevie Brown takes a big step back, and the fact that the LB core for the Giants is very suspect...and on the flipside the possibility someone will step up at safety for the Cowboys, or that maybe Ratliff stays healthy this year and excells in the new scheme, or that maybe the offense really benefits with Callahan calling the plays....You could be right but youre a little overconfident IMO...to completely write off the cowboys is ridiculous..the fact that you are bringing up Louis Murphy tells me you are stretching

rosebud, gotta say Im seeing a lot of hometown bias in your assessment. When the Cowboys have a potential weakness, you assume they will be horrible at that spot. When the Giants have a potential weakness, you gloss over it and act like it'll sort itself out. And you may well be right. But to not even realize the possibility that maybe Corey Webster has another awful year and Prince never matures like the team hopes, and maybe Stevie Brown takes a big step back, and the fact that the LB core for the Giants is very suspect...and on the flipside the possibility someone will step up at safety for the Cowboys, or that maybe Ratliff stays healthy this year and excells in the new scheme, or that maybe the offense really benefits with Callahan calling the plays....You could be right but youre a little overconfident IMO...to completely write off the cowboys is ridiculous..the fact that you are bringing up Louis Murphy tells me you are stretching

Before i start I just wanted to point out that Prince is already an excellent corner, but that's insignificant to the crux of my argument, and that's that the cowboys have the disadvantage at QB and HC, and so it is much more important for them that the rest of the team steps up than it is for the Giants or Deadskins. So even if Tuck stays his injury prone self, Webster doesn't look any better now that he's healthy again, Joseph gets hurt, Hank turns out to be a bust, Cullen Jenkins remembers that he's old, our only good LB Jacquain Williams gets hurt, stevie brown turns out to be a fluke and Nicks is even more banged up than usual, we'll still be the team to beat.

The cowboys have to have their weaknesses step up otherwise the QB/HC advantage will decide the division against them, the giants and redskins weaknesses could step up, but they could still take the division without it.

And only mentioned Murphy to point out how much better our WR depth is with Randle starting to break out and Murphy as the 4 who only comes in for some snaps when Nicks misses time. Not saying he'll be a key piece or anything, just that when the eventual happens and Randle has to step in as the #2 opposite Cruz, Murphy is a lot more capable than the 3rd receiver in that situation in previous years. Kinda like Hixon was for us.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

Ill give you the HC/QB combo thing, and the Giants clearly have the upper hand in the division in that aspect...but its not like Romo is terrible, he is a good QB. And I think Garrett might be better this year with Callahan out. And I will not give you the Redskins having a better QB/HC combo. RG3 is a second-year guy coming off an ACL tear, that is way too much uncertainty. And Shanny did good last year but Im still not sure Im sold on what hes doing in Washington. Coughlin/Eli I have to give the benefit of the doubt, b/c of 2 rings, but they have also proven they are the kind of team that can win the Super Bowl one year and go 8-8 the next year. Even in their two Super Bowl years, they barely made the playoffs.

Ill give you the HC/QB combo thing, and the Giants clearly have the upper hand in the division in that aspect...but its not like Romo is terrible, he is a good QB. And I think Garrett might be better this year with Callahan out. And I will not give you the Redskins having a better QB/HC combo. RG3 is a second-year guy coming off an ACL tear, that is way too much uncertainty. And Shanny did good last year but Im still not sure Im sold on what hes doing in Washington. Coughlin/Eli I have to give the benefit of the doubt, b/c of 2 rings, but they have also proven they are the kind of team that can win the Super Bowl one year and go 8-8 the next year. Even in their two Super Bowl years, they barely made the playoffs.

And I think the Cowboys do have the best supporting cast.

See I just don't think the difference in supporting cast is that big, both teams have amazing weapons, both teams have OLs they're rebuild with a few quality youngsters but still a lot of questions, both teams DLs aren't very great and are relying heavily on their one super-duper-star and an injury prone vet to help the other pieces fall into place, and both teams have big questions in the secondary to go alongside their great young piece.

The Cowboys LBs blow ours away, but that's not nearly enough to make up for the question marks both teams have. Are those LBs gunna help block for Romo so that he doesn't get beaten up in the big games anymore? Are those LBs gunna be so studly when their DL gets blown up and they've gotta shed before they can make any plays? Are those LBs gunna be so great in the middle of the field that the safeties can stand around and play switch all day behind them? They won't, the cowboys do have more talent on defense, but they still have major weaknesses that can be exploited on both sides of the ball that will turn this into a question of QB play and coaching. And in that category at the least the giants have the cowboys thumped. And although I've got issues with Shanny's rep as well, he's still a lot better than Garrett.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

lol like you're psychic or a gambling expert.
we like guys like you at the sportsbook in the casino.

as he pointed out, the last 2 years, the cowboys have played the week 17 game for all the marbles for the NFC East division.
last year they got whipped by Washington and the year before IIRC they should have beaten the Giants.

Philly, Wash, and NYG didn't make a ton of improvements, so why would they have pulled away from Dallas, who returns all their top players from Dez to Witten to Austin to Romo to Demarco Murray, Ware, the 2 good CBs.... they get some good guys back off IR last year.....

Dallas is ALWAYS predicted to win the division and make a deep playoff run.

Believe it when I see it.
I don't like their HC. Their starting QB has performance anxiety issues still. How is Dallas going to stop the run??

There's talent and ability there, but that squad perennially is discussed as a SB contender. Why???

yea I hear ya. For the record, I usually find myself as part of that group, and then laugh at Dallas when the wheels fall off. But this year, I feel like is gonna be the year it comes together for them. I still think theyll lose in the playoffs, but I am predicting strong regular season. As you can tell from my article, I really like the Kiffin as DC signing, I think they have the perfect guys to run his defense. And I also really like the Callahan signing at OC, it will take a lot of pressure off Garrett/Romo. I also think Rob Ryan was awful and think it was a great thing to get rid of him. also just having everyone healthy and no injuries yet to speak of. They got hit hard with injuries last year and still almost won the division.

Yeah, but the principles that defense was built around would just be ripped up by the spread that modern offenses like the Giants and Skins run. That's why modern defenses have to be massively more diverse and utilize a lot of other concepts as well. Kiffin could certainly adapt and flourish, but that's one I'm gunna have to see him not be a dinosaur with before I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on as even before he left Tampa his schemes were getting very stale.

__________________
BK

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcheTen

JPP is a better and more productive player than Brandon Graham

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaddon41_80

Is Shaun Hill a top 10 QB? Definitely not. Is he a top 20 one? Almost certainly.

Yeah, but the principles that defense was built around would just be ripped up by the spread that modern offenses like the Giants and Skins run. That's why modern defenses have to be massively more diverse and utilize a lot of other concepts as well. Kiffin could certainly adapt and flourish, but that's one I'm gunna have to see him not be a dinosaur with before I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on as even before he left Tampa his schemes were getting very stale.

yea its a possibility I guess well have to wait and see what Monte Kiffin has in store for us

I'm not saying Dallas won't be good enough to lose the division down the stretch. I'm just saying that down the stretch, they will lose the division.

That's acceptable, LOL.

I am hoping for a bad season for them so the December 15th Packers @ Dallas game sees all the Cow fans unloading their tickets to Cheeseheads who want to see the real America's Team win there again like the Super Bowl in 2011.

I already know I'm gonna be there, would like to see a Sea of Cheese there.

Sure if you ignore the issues with the Cowboys DL outside of Ware, their OL outside of Tyron and maybe Frederick and their horrendous safeties, then sure that would be an accurate summary of my assessment of the Cowboys as long as you also ignore the Romo/Garrett combo being vastly inferior to the QB/HC combos for their two primary competitors for the division.

And no where am I suggesting our issue will just fix themselves, our run D won't be very good and our pass D is dependent on Tuck and JPP getting healthy as well as Webster squeezing out one more year, but with our offense that's more than enough to win this division.

And the **** do you mean Eli's never run an offense like this before? We won a superbowl with the worst defense in the NFL and no running game. Now our OL is better and so are our RBs, add Randle and Murphy giving us better WR depth and Eli has to do a lot less for us than he did two years ago. *shrug* But then again I guess I should've expected such an eloquently phrased sentence at the start of my post would distract you from reading the rest of my post.

I simply said the Cowboys had a shot at the division. Considering that they're fairly evenly matched with the Giants, and probably have the better overall roster it wasn't a huge stretch.

I just questioned some of the assumptions that you made. You guys missed the playoffs last season, and it's arguable that you got worse defensively. Your back 7 is atrocious. I suspect Eli can continue to produce 25-26 points a game, but it's a stretch to say that the offense is going to evolve into some kind of juggernaut because you have a couple of high round picks maturing. You guys, like the Cowboys have a lot of issues and the division is definitely up for grabs.